July 2016

The SCSC raises concern over a dramatic increase in the number of young people under-21 years of age being prescribed anti-depressants in Scotland. Diagnosis of a mental health problem should not be the only mechanism to trigger support, but it is often only then when interventions take place.

The SCSC strongly supports the findings of the Scottish Youth Parliament’s report, which reveals the scale of the epidemic in mental health problems for young people. Like the Children’s Commissioner, Tam Baillie, we echo the urgent call for a greater focus on the mental health needs of our vulnerable children and young people.

The SCSC calls for a greater focus on the needs of children and young people with mental health problems as more than 20 are turned away from a specialist mental health unit in Dundee due to a lack of staff and beds.